Shock-tube investigation of jet flows from slotted and wedge-shaped nozzles

Toepler photography and interferometry were used to investigate the time of establishment of the density field, the flow geometry, and the spatial density distribution in three-dimensional and two-dimensional nozzles used in gasdynamic lasers. The measurements were performed in nitrogen, air, and a mixture of 0.1N2O-0.2N2-0.7He; the Mach number varied in the range of 1.9-3.5, and the internal-to-external pressure ratio varied in the range 1-70. Conditions for the establishment of the quasi-stationary state are determined, and the characteristics of the generation of Riemann waves in slotted and wedge-shaped nozzles are investigated. Density distributions along the jet axis were obtained.